Windows - Software - Uninstall Google Chrome

What the Chrome removal Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ detects and removes Google Chrome from Windows endpoints, covering both 32-bit and 64-bit system-level installations. The Worklet inspects the Windows Registry to find Chrome's install record, stops any running chrome.exe processes that would block file deletion, and then drives Chrome's own setup.exe through a silent uninstall.

Chrome ships with two install flavors on Windows. Consumer-style installs land under setup.exe with command-line flags. Enterprise MSI installs land in the Windows Installer database and need msiexec to remove cleanly. The Worklet handles both paths from the same evaluation, so you do not need to know which flavor any given endpoint has.

The script reads from three uninstall registry hives: HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, and the user-scope equivalent under HKCU when applicable. On 64-bit Windows it relaunches in the 64-bit PowerShell host so registry redirection does not hide a per-architecture install from the evaluation.

After the primary uninstall, the remediation phase removes the Google Update components that Chrome installs alongside the browser. That includes the GoogleUpdate.exe binary in %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Update, the GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore and GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA scheduled tasks, and the gupdate / gupdatem services. Without that teardown, an endpoint can re-pull Chrome on the next update cycle.

Why remove Google Chrome at fleet scale

Most fleets accumulate Chrome installs that nobody centrally owns. A user installs Chrome from a website to view a vendor portal. A laptop comes in from acquisition with Chrome already configured. A help-desk technician installs it to reproduce a bug and forgets to remove it. Six months later, IT cannot tell which Chrome versions are patched, which extensions are running, or which endpoints will accept a managed Chrome policy. Removing the unmanaged footprint is the prerequisite for redeploying a managed Chrome build or migrating to Microsoft Edge.

This Worklet applies the same uninstall sequence to a 32-bit kiosk, a 64-bit developer workstation, and an MSI-deployed corporate image: enumerate the Chrome entries in both Uninstall hives, run the recorded uninstaller with --uninstall --multi-install --force-uninstall --system-level for installer-package builds, fall back to msiexec /x for MSI builds, and sweep residual Application directories and HKCU Chrome keys. Activity logs capture exit codes and the install path that was found, so an admin can verify the cleanup endpoint by endpoint.

How Chrome removal works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet enumerates the three uninstall registry hives looking for a DisplayName matching Google Chrome. On 64-bit Windows it uses [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenBaseKey with RegistryView::Registry64 and Registry32 to read both views directly, bypassing WOW64 redirection. If a Chrome entry is found in any view, the endpoint is marked non-compliant and remediation is scheduled. If no entry is found, the evaluation exits 0 and no remediation runs.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet calls Stop-Process -Name chrome -Force to release file locks, then branches on installer type. For EXE installs it runs setup.exe with --uninstall --multi-install --chrome --system-level --force-uninstall, which is Chrome's documented silent uninstall command. For MSI installs it runs msiexec.exe /x $($version.PSChildName) /qn /norestart against the ProductCode pulled from the registry. After the uninstall returns, the Worklet removes the GoogleUpdate.exe binary, unregisters the GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore and GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA scheduled tasks via Unregister-ScheduledTask, and stops and deletes the gupdate and gupdatem services with sc.exe delete. It then re-reads the registry and exits 0 if Chrome is no longer present.

Chrome removal requirements

• Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016 and later (32-bit and 64-bit supported)

• Local administrator privileges for the Automox agent so the script can write under HKLM and run setup.exe / msiexec at system level

• PowerShell 5.1 or later (preinstalled on supported Windows builds)

• Chrome installed at the system level under Program Files or Program Files (x86); per-user installs under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome are out of scope and need a user-context companion Worklet

• No interactive Chrome session at runtime; the Worklet force-closes chrome.exe but a logged-in user will lose unsaved browser state

• Schedule a follow-on Worklet or policy if you intend to redeploy a managed Chrome MSI; this Worklet leaves the endpoint browserless until the next deployment

Expected state after Chrome removal

On a successful run, Chrome's uninstall entry is gone from all three registry hives, the Chrome install directory under Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome or Program Files\Google\Chrome is deleted, and Start menu and Desktop shortcuts are removed. The GoogleUpdate.exe binary, its scheduled tasks (GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore, GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA), and the gupdate / gupdatem services are also removed, so the endpoint cannot silently re-pull Chrome on its next update check. The Worklet exits 0.

Validate from a terminal on the endpoint: run Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object DisplayName -like '*Chrome*' and confirm no result, then run Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'GoogleUpdate*' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue and confirm the same. From the Automox console, the next evaluation run reports compliant without applying remediation again. The endpoint stays browserless until you deploy a managed Chrome MSI or migrate users to Microsoft Edge or Firefox through a follow-on policy.